Colostomy pan



July 31, 1945. D. FENWICK 2,380,740

' COLOSTOMY PAN Filed July 2, 1942 vvvv BY lV/ TNESSI W ATTORNZYSL Patented July 31, 1945 UNI-TED STATES PATENT OFFICE COLOSTOMY PAN Ivy D. Fenwick, Brooklyn, N. Y. Application July 2, 1942, Serial No. 449,435

2 Claims.

This invention relates to irrigating pans and more specifi ally to .a colostomy pan.

The primary object of the invention resides in a colostomy pan for use in the giving of colostomy irrigations. Th pan is constructed to give comfort to colostomy cases during hospitalization and for subsequent home use, and may be convenie'ntly handled by the 'user in private, thus dispensing with the help of an attendant.

Other features of the invention are to provide a colostomy pan which is light in weight so as to be supported in comfort upon ones lap when in a natural sitting position; to provide means for the passage of an irrigation tube to the colostomy when the'pan is adjusted thereover; to provide means for preventing the splashing and spilling of the fluids during expelling of the same from the colostomy into the pan; and to provide for' the cleaning and the free edges of the open end of the when the pan is in use.

When the pan to is not in use, it rests upon the flat bottom wall l2 as shown in Figure 3, but

' when in use, the pan is heldin a substantially easy and thorough cleansing of the pan after use thereof for sanitary purposes. 7

Other features of the invention will appear as the following specification is read in'conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a colostomy pan constructed in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the colostomy pan positioned a ainst the body and over: the colostomy of a user, with an enema tube extending through the pan and into the colostomy.

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the colostomy pan resting upon its flat bottom and showing the bail handle in lowered position in full lines andin raised position in dot and dash lines.

Figure 41s a side elevational view of the colostomy pan resting upon its flat side.

Figure 5 is a vertical transverse sectional view on the line 5-4 of Figure 4. v

Referring to the drawing by reference'characters, th numeral Io designates a colostomy. pan 40 constructed in accordance with the lnventionand which includes'a receptacle body H having a flat bottom wall l2, a substantially oval'side wall It, except, for a flattened portion ll,.which portion extends from the bottom wall and joins with an angular wallp'ortion Ii disposed at the open end It. The sidewalls of the body converge toward the open end, and said open end of the receptacle body II is therefore reduced in size and is disposed at an angle relative to the remaining porof the pan from thelap of the user.

of the strap 24 are provided with snap hooks 25 horizontal position withthe flat side It down as best seen in Figure 2. fl'hat side of the body ll opposite to the flat side i4 is provided with an enema tube opening I! which is of a size to freely permit an enema tube T (Figure 2) to pass therethrough and which is disposed adjacent the open end It. The opening I1 is surrounded by an outwardly extending flange I8 which acts as a seat for a flat closure member IS, the same being pivoted as at 20 at that side of the opening I I nearest the open end 18' A spring 2| acts upon the closure member l9 to normally seat the same uponthe flange It to close the opening l8, and to hold the closure member against the tube T. An arcuate shape splash guard flange 22 "extends inwardly from the closure member l9 to prevent splashing of the fluid through the opening during use of the pan while the closure member is in the partially open position or closed position.

'Forme d integral with the receptacle body II are a pair 01' spaced hand grips 23, the same being located at a point intermediate the end of the body and on that side opposite to thefiat side portion ll. 1 Whereas the hand grips 23 are grasped by the hands of a user to hold the open end it of the body ll tightly against the abdomen and over the colostomy, I provide an adjustable waist encircling strap 24 to prevent accidental slipping The ends which engage the respective hand grips 23. Both of the snap hooks 25 are detachable from the hand grips to facilitate the connection and disconnection of the strap with the waist region of the user.

To facilitate carrying of the receptacle body I I, I provide a bail handle 26 having its ends pivoted to opposed eyes 21 which are fastened to'and extend from the body ll adjacent the open end thereof. The ball handle 26 may be swung to an out-of-the-way position as shown in full lines in Figures 3 and 4 or to a position of use as shown in dotted lines in Figure 3.

In the treatment of colostomy cases, the pan in may be used while the patient is hospitalized or at home with the patient ina prone position or in ner corners are rounded 'to facilitate thorough I a natural sitting position, If the patient is confined to bed, the nurse or attendant turns the patient to one side and to a position adjacent the side edge of the bed. The proper amount of irrigation solution is placed in the elevated bag of an irrigating apparatus,- and the pan i is placed with its flat side l4 upon a chair or stand adjacent the bed. The rectal tube end T of the irrigating apparatus is inserted through the opening I and is passed through the open mouth l6 and is thence inserted into the colostomy. The pan I0 may now be pushed against the patients body with the open end l6 disposed over the colostomy to seal the same thereagainst. The solution in the irrigating apparatus is released, after which the rectal tube end T thereof is withdrawn from the colostomy and the pan, whereupon the springpressed closure member I! swings down to closed position over the opening [1. Th patient may if able, hold the pan against his or her body by grasping one or both of the hand grips 23 until the enema has been expelled from the colostomy into the pan, after which the attendant may remove the pan from the patient and proceed to empty and cleanse the same. Thus the enema operation has been performed to the comfort of the patient and without soiling of bed garments, linen, or attendant.

For home use, the user may prepare the irrigating apparatus in the privacy of his or her toilet and personally assume a sitting position with the hat side It of the pan in resting upon the knees with the strap fastened about the waist. Preparatory to fastening 0f the strap, the irrigating tube T is inserted through the opening l1, open mouth l6, and into the colostomy. The user grasps both hand grips 23 to hold the open end It of the pan tight against the body and over the colostomy. The irrigating fluid may now be released, the tube removed, and the enema expelled into the pan without fear of soiling the surrounds.

The user may now unfasten the strap 24, lift the pan by the handle 26, and proceed to empty and cleanse the same.

The pan I0 is preferably made of transparent glass or plastic to enable the user to see the amount of irrigation-expelled, which is essential to know before removing the pan from the colostomy. Also, the same is provided with rounded corners to facilitate cleansing of the pan. The open mouth It is made relatively large to enable the insertion of the hand for cleansing and to prevent the edges of the mouth opening from pressing too close to the area of the colostomy. Also, when traveling, the owner may compactly pack the irrigating apparatus and other essentials into the pan and provide a neat and convenient package.

Whereas the pan It has been referred to as a colostomy pan, the same may be used for other irrigating purposes, such as for deeply infected wounds in which drainage tubes may be lead from the wound to the pan through the opening 11.

While I have shown and described what I consider to be the preferred embodiment of my invention, I wish it to be understood that such changes in construction, design, and materials may be resorted to if desired without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A colostomy pan for use in the administering of an enema to a colostomy patient comprising an elongated receptacle body having an open mouth at one end thereof, the open mouth being of a size to enable the edges thereof to surround a colostomy when the pan is placed in a substantially horizontal position in use, that portion of the side wall of the receptacle body disposed face up when the pan is in use having an enema tube opening therein disposed adjacent the open mouth whereby a flexible enema tube may be freely passed through the enema tube opening into the interior of the receptacle body and thence through the open mouth into a colostomy, said receptacle body adapted to directly receive the, discharge from the colostomy upon withdrawal of the enema tube therefrom.

2. A colostomy pan as set forth in claim 1 including a pair of spaced transversely alined hand grips provided on that side wall portion of the receptacle body which is disposed face up when the pan 'is in use to enable the user to grasp the same and hold the pan in position of use.

. IVY D. FENWICK. 

